Vest Financial LLC Buys 20,427 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Vest Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 13.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 171,644 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 20,427 shares during the quarter. West Pharmaceutical Services comprises about 1.0% of Vest Financial LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Vest Financial LLC owned 0.24% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $56,224,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Baron Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,926 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $631,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 18.9% during the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 239 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $78,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 14.3% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 320 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $96,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 9,980 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,269,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 3,941 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,183,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WST. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Wolfe Research started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Finally, UBS Group upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $350.00 to $390.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $403.75.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 2.7 %

Shares of NYSE WST opened at $321.50 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 3.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $265.00 and a twelve month high of $413.56. The company’s fifty day moving average is $332.31 and its 200-day moving average is $314.56. The stock has a market cap of $23.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.70, a P/E/G ratio of 19.31 and a beta of 1.01.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.26%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is 12.46%.

West Pharmaceutical Services Profile

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc designs, manufactures, and sells containment and delivery systems for injectable drugs and healthcare products in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. It operates in two segments, Proprietary Products and Contract-Manufactured Products.